


Crimson

by hero_hero



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Ancient Greek Religion & Lore Fusion, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Anal Sex, Angst, Bittersweet Ending, Blood, Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, Body Worship, Changbin just has one sword he's lame, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Lovers, Established Relationship, Forbidden Love, Heavy Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Porn With Plot, Porn with Feelings, References to Ancient Greek Religion & Lore, Sad, Smut, Swords, War, and Hyunjin has DUAL SWORDS, jk love you Changbin, swords are cool ok
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-12 08:09:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28507227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hero_hero/pseuds/hero_hero
Summary: Hyunjin and Changbin are from feuding nations, and they’re in love. They dream of being together forever.Too bad there’s a war going on that will tear them and their kingdoms apart.
Relationships: Hwang Hyunjin/Seo Changbin
Kudos: 88





	Crimson

**Author's Note:**

> new year new me here’s some porn I guess. And this time I finally gathered up enough courage to actually type “COCK” so this is a big day for me
> 
> But yeah this is kinda self-indulgent and kinda smutty and hella angsty and kinda inspired by SKZ’s 2020 mama stage bc DUAL SWORD WIELDING HYUNJIN IS AN EXCELLENT CONCEPT, one which I will be using liberally in the future. 
> 
> Anyways happy new year and I hope you enjoy! (pls excuse any typos or plotholes)

One fateful day, two ships from two warring nations crossed paths in the open sea. Naturally, they engaged in a brief but bloody battle, spilling so much blood that it angered the Sea God. The sea became tumultuous as a storm descended upon the ships. It bashed the ships together, destroying both of them. Those who were still alive were thrown into the sea, where all but two met their fate.

The two men survived only because another god interceded for them, convincing the Sea God to spare them, as they both had bigger roles to play. The Sea God agreed, but he cast them both onto a rocky, narrow, deserted island nearby. Now the two survivors’ fates were in their own hands. If they wanted to survive, then they would.

But they’d have to avoid killing each other first.

Luck was on the side of these two men. While initially they got off to a rough start, they were forced to help each other in order to survive. During their time on that island, something changed between them, and they came to an agreement for what happened after they got off the island. 

During the new moon of each month, the two of them would meet in a set of ruins in a deserted area between their two kingdoms.

And that is where our story begins.

~

Hyunjin had a hell of a time sneaking out of the Hwang Castle, but he’s here at the designated ruins now. From the looks of it, Changbin isn’t here yet…which can be a good and a bad thing. On one hand, he could just be hiding with a handful of his fellow Seo warriors, and then could spring them all on Hyunjin when Hyunjin least expects it. He could be planning a trap to take Hyunjin prisoner and then use Hyunjin against his own people.

Or he could just be late.

Hyunjin dearly hopes it’s the latter, since he’s not sure he could handle the betrayal.

He leaves his horse behind a column, next to a patch of grass and an overgrown grove of trees. Then he climbs the broken steps to the top floor, which is a lovely, open-walled room set into the side of a small cliff. It used to be a bedroom, but now it is covered in vines and flowers and other plants, with crumbling columns and a single, half-circle balcony that looks out across the rolling fields.

Hyunjin waits in this room, unable to keep himself from pacing. He grips the hilts of his dual swords, needing something to ground himself as he tries not to overthink.

Every rustle makes him jump, then strain his ears. He finds himself praying to whatever god is out there, praying that Changbin doesn’t betray him. The longer he waits, the worst his fears become, and the more he prays.

Finally, he hears the telltale sound of footsteps climbing the set of broken stairs. Hyunjin stops his pacing and turns to face the balcony, his entire body tense as his heart pounds in his chest.

And then Changbin is before him once again. He steps into view, stopping on the balcony when his eyes fall on Hyunjin. He too has his sword strapped to his side, while his crimson chiton is covered by lightweight, golden armor. He came prepared…just like Hyunjin, despite the fact that they explicitly agreed to come unarmed.

They stare at each other for a few moments, both unsure of what to do.

Then Changbin says, “Hyunjin.”

“Changbin,” Hyunjin breathes.

Changbin glances at the shadows behind Hyunjin, his body stiff. Hyunjin glances to the left and right of Changbin, where anyone could be hiding behind the massive columns.

Hyunjin doesn’t hear any movements, though, so he has to assume that Changbin upheld his end of the deal. After all, he is an honorable man, one bound by a strict code, as all Seos are. Part of that code is that he will never harm a defenseless man, and he has upheld that time and time again, even when Hyunjin attacked him first on that island when they both washed up on its shores.

So, taking a deep breath, Hyunjin slowly unbuckles his dual swords. Changbin follows his movements with his eyes as Hyunjin places the swords on the ground, away from him. Then Hyunjin shows his palms outwards towards Changbin.

After a moment, Changbin removes his sword. He slowly places it on the ground.

They stare at each other for a few heartbeats more, waiting for the other to make the first move.

Finally, Hyunjin can’t take it anymore, and he whispers again, “Changbin.”

That single word breaks the ice, and then Changbin is moving forward, and Hyunjin’s rushing to meet him in the middle. When they collide, Changbin already has his hands on Hyunjin’s cheeks, and Hyunjin smashes their lips together. Just like that, the tension vanishes, replaced by the same feelings they felt for each other on that deserted island.

Hyunjin feels as though he could cry and sing at the same time. He clutches at Changbin, wanting to feel every inch of his body. Changbin responds in kind, letting his hands trail all over Hyunjin as well, as if both of them have to make sure that the other is really, truly there.

When they break apart, they’re both panting as if they were drowning and finally broke the surface. Hyunjin’s body hums with energy, and he grins as Changbin presses their foreheads together.

“I missed you,” Changbin murmurs, stroking Hyunjin’s cheekbone with his thumb.

“I missed you too,” Hyunjin whispers. “I was so worried things were going to be different after we went back to our kingdoms, and I was worried you weren’t going to hold up the agreement, even though I know you’re one of the most honorable men I’ve ever met—”

“I felt the same way, don’t worry.” Changbin pulls back just enough so Hyunjin can see his gentle smile. “But we’re together now. Everything is as it should be.”

“More or less. There’s still a war going on.”

Changbin sighs. “You’re right.”

“I’m so sick of war,” Hyunjin says.

“I know you are. I am, too. But for right now, we can pretend that there’s no war, that nothing exists beyond these walls. We can pretend that it’s just us and only us.”

Hyunjin smiles at the sentiment, though he can’t help pointing out, “There are no walls, though.”

Changbin snorts and rolls his eyes. “You know what I mean. It was metaphorical.”

“There’s just columns, with some trees in between—”

Changbin kisses him to shut him up, and Hyunjin giggles against his lips.

“I’ve been dreaming about what this night might be like, and now you’ve ruined it,” Changbin teases.

“Oh dear, I guess I’ll have to make it up to you,” Hyunjin drawls, already reaching up to unclasp his chiton.

“While that sounds heavenly—it really does—if we’re going with the practicality, then we’re really unprepared.”

Hyunjin arches an eyebrow at that, and Changbin gestures to the ruins.

“A bit uncomfortable, wouldn’t you say?” Changbin says. “There’s no bed. Nothing soft to lay on.”

“You’ve fucked me on a cave floor on a deserted island before,” Hyunjin retorts. “And then on a beach.”

“Yes, but that’s because we didn’t have anything else. And I’d take the cave before the beach any day. Sand got _everywhere_.”

Hyunjin giggles again. “It’s not like how they talk about in the stories.”

“It definitely is not,” Changbin says. “Decidedly _unsexy_.”

“Well, other than that, I did come partially prepared,” Hyunjin says, pulling a small vial of oil out of his pocket.

“Oh, good, so did I.” Changbin pulls out a similar vial of oil, and Hyunjin can’t help but laugh and kiss him. “I suppose I could put my cloak down on the floor so it’s somewhat more comfortable.”

“Next time I’ll be sure to bring an entire chaise lounge,” Hyunjin laughs, cupping the side of Changbin’s face.

“A couple pillows would suffice.” But Changbin is smiling. “We’ll figure it out.”

“We will. But for now—” Hyunjin slowly reaches up and slips one of the straps of his chiton off his shoulder. “Are you going to just stand there or are you going to help me get this off?”

Changbin smiles at him, which Hyunjin returns. And then Changbin gently cups the side of Hyunjin’s face and begins kissing down the side of Hyunjin’s neck, making Hyunjin sigh and tilt his head to the side for better access. Changbin kisses all the way to Hyunjin’s exposed shoulder, then begins trailing downwards, across Hyunjin’s chest, to the base of his throat, and then to the other shoulder. There, he slips his hand under the fabric and locks gazes with Hyunjin before slipping that strap off as well.

The top part of the chiton falls to Hyunjin’s waist, and Changbin can’t stop himself from running his hands over the expanse of smooth, perfect skin.

“You’re beautiful,” he murmurs.

Hyunjin blushes from the compliment. Changbin loves how flustered he gets. He wants to make him even more flustered.

So, he kisses Hyunjin on the lips again, more deeply than before, to the point where Hyunjin lets out a little noise of surprise. While their lips are occupied, Changbin trails his hands over Hyunjin’s chest again, where he begins playing with Hyunjin’s nipples and gives no warning whatsoever before suddenly pinching both of them. Hyunjin jolts at that, letting out a small moan. Changbin continues to play with them, not giving Hyunjin a single break, not even from their kiss.

At one point, Hyunjin breaks away, panting once again, his lips swollen and a gorgeous shade of slick red. “Fuck me,” he tells Changbin.

“Of course, love,” Changbin says, smirking. “How do you want it?”

Hyunjin thinks for a moment, and Changbin finally stills his fingers, just to give Hyunjin a chance to really think.

Then Hyunjin says, “Fuck me against that column?”

Changbin glances at the closest column, considering.

“Bonus points if you fuck me so hard that you break the column,” Hyunjin adds with a grin. “I know you like a challenge.”

Changbin snorts and plants a sweet kiss on his lips. “I don’t want to hurt you, love.”

“Well, I want to be hurt. I want to be crying and screaming your name because it feels so good.”

“You’re so sensitive that you start screaming my name the moment I touch you.”

  
Hyunjin just grins unashamedly.

“As if I can say no to you,” Changbin says, smiling.

Then, without another word, he slips his hands under Hyunjin’s thighs and scoops him up, making Hyunjin let out a little squeal of surprise and excitement.

“Gods, it’s so hot when you lift me like I’m nothing and manhandle me and—” Hyunjin’s babbling like he always does when he gets excited, and Changbin loves to hear it, but he also doesn’t trust that the sound can’t carry around here. So to avoid being heard or discovered, he kisses Hyunjin to shut him up, and Hyunjin moans into it. Immediately afterwards, his back hits the column, and his legs tighten from where they’re wrapped around Changbin’s waist.

As Changbin reaches for the vial of oil, Hyunjin unties the string around his waist, the last thing holding his chiton up. Then he pulls it off completely, grinning when Changbin freezes at the sight.

“Gods, you somehow got even more beautiful in the time we were apart,” Changbin murmurs, running a hand down Hyunjin’s bare torso, feeling the smooth, toned panes. He stops right above Hyunjin’s cock, which is already almost as red as Hyunjin’s lips and just as swollen. Hyunjin lets out a needly little whine when Changbin doesn’t touch him where he wants him to, and Changbin just smirks.

  
“Patience is a virtue, you know,” he says.

“Oh, shut up with your honor code,” Hyunjin shoots back.

“Last I checked, it was part of _your_ honor code, Hwang.”

“Fuck me to teach me a lesson?”

“Oh my gods, Hyunjin.”

Hyunjin giggles, and Changbin finally uncorks the vial of oil and pours it on his fingers. Then he leans forward and captures Hyunjin’s lips with his own, while one slick hand probes at Hyunjin’s entrance and the other stays on Hyunjin’s hip, keeping him steady.

“This _can’t_ be comfortable,” Changbin murmurs against Hyunjin’s lips.

“Stop talking,” Hyunjin mumbles back, even when he’s literally being pressed against a stone column.

“If you insist.” Changbin adds another oiled finger and twists just right, and Hyunjin cries out.

Changbin does stop talking after that, mostly because he’s starting to get worked up too (well, he has been this whole time, actually). He wants to focus on giving Hyunjin the most pleasure possible, so he takes the utmost care in fucking his fingers in and out of Hyunjin’s hole, loving the way Hyunjin whines and wriggles at the feeling.

“I’m—” Hyunjin can already barely make out the words. “I need—I need you _now_.”

“Needy,” Changbin says, but he pulls his fingers out of Hyunjin anyways.

He kisses Hyunjin again as he slicks himself up, then picks up one of Hyunjin’s legs to get better access. He lines up and thrusts in at the same time, making Hyunjin gasp and throw his head back as Changbin fills him.

Changbin waits for Hyunjin to get used to him for a few moments, but Hyunjin has always been impatient.

“Move, _move—_ ”

Changbin complies, pulling out almost all of the way and then thrusting back in with a _snap._ Hyunjin’s whole body jolts, and he moans.

Changbin still isn’t completely into the idea of hurting Hyunjin, but Hyunjin loves it, so he gives him what he wants. He sets a brutal pace, his stamina gained from years on the battlefield truly paying off, and fucks into Hyunjin mercilessly. Hyunjin cries out and whimpers and moans almost constantly, reaching under Changbin’s clothes and digging his nails into Changbin’s back. The feeling spurs Changbin on, and he digs his fingers into Hyunjin’s ass as he pretends to chase his own pleasure. Hyunjin wants to be used as a hole to be abused and nothing else, so that’s what Changbin pretends to want.

It does turn him on, somewhat—as if he _won’t_ be turned on when Hyunjin looks like this. He can already feel the heat building and coiling and twisting in the pits of his stomach. He’s close, and so is Hyunjin.

And yet, it’s still not quite enough.

“More, _more—”_ Hyunjin gasps.

Changbin slams into him, and Hyunjin lets out a choked cry, right before Changbin reaches up and twists one of his hard little nipples. Hyunjin bucks his hips at that, his poor, untouched cock throbbing and leaking. Hyunjin moves one hand from Changbin’s shoulder towards his cock, but Changbin beats him to it. He swats Hyunjin’s hand away and takes Hyunjin’s cock in his. He starts moving his hand in time with his thrusts, and by then it’s all over for Hyunjin.

With a strangled moan, Hyunjin climaxes, spilling into Changbin’s hand. The sight of Hyunjin with his plump lips parted and his eyes squeezed shut is enough to tip Changbin over the edge too, and soon he’s spilling into Hyunjin and riding out his own orgasm inside him. Hyunjin squeezes his eyes shut even tighter as fat tears roll down his cheeks at the overstimulation.

After pulling out, Changbin wipes one hand on his chiton, then reaches up and cups Hyunjin’s face. He wipes away Hyunjin’s tears with both thumbs.

“Please tell me you’re alright,” he murmurs, already full of worry that he somehow overdid it.

“Mmm, better than alright,” Hyunjin slurs, opening his eyes a crack to grin lazily up at Changbin. His pupils are so big. He looks fucked out of his mind, and Changbin still can’t believe that he’s the one who did that. That _he’s_ the one who _gets_ to do that. Hyunjin could have anyone in the world, and yet he chose Changbin. His enemy.

It’s a gift unlike any other. Emotion wells up in Changbin as he thinks about it, and soon his own eyes are filling with tears.

He always gets so emotional and sentimental after fucking.

“I love you so much,” he whispers.

“I love you too,” Hyunjin replies.

Changbin kisses him, much gentler but sweeter than before. He wraps his arms around Hyunjin, pulling him away from the column. Hyunjin wraps his legs around Changbin’s waist, still kissing him as Changbin carries him over to the center of the room. There, he lays Hyunjin down on the stone floor, cracked in places and overrun with vines.

When Changbin pulls back, he falters partially, once again stunned by the sight of Hyunjin laying on his back, his long, golden hair splayed out on the stone, his face somewhat fucked out, his long legs spread and ready to welcome Changbin for another round. He’s so beautiful, like a sculpture itself, and here he is, giving himself wholly to Changbin.

“I want to take my time this round,” Changbin says. “Show you how much I really love you. Show you how you should be loved and adored. No pain. Just pleasure.”

“Alright.” Hyunjin smiles up at him. “But only if you take off that ridiculous armor.”

Changbin snorts and looks down at himself. He’s still wearing his red chiton and golden armor and tall sandals. It’s unfair how Hyunjin is nude and vulnerable while Changbin is covered and protected.

“Do you want to help me, or should I do it myself and attempt to make a show out of it?” Changbin asks Hyunjin.

Hyunjin’s lips curl into a smile. “As amusing as the latter sounds, I think I’d like the former.”

Changbin smiles, and then Hyunjin sits up and plants a sweet kiss on his lips. Then he begins to fiddle with the clasps of Changbin’s armor. When Changbin reaches up to help him, Hyunjin swats his hands away, and Changbin can’t help but laugh. He sits back and lets Hyunjin do all the work in unfastening his armor.

Each time Hyunjin undoes a buckle, he places a kiss where the straps came together. Whenever a piece of armor comes off completely, he runs his hands over the area it protected, as if to thank it with a caress for serving its purpose.

By the time all of the armor is off and set aside, and Changbin’s wearing only his crimson chiton, Changbin feels almost like a new man, like he just discarded the shell of what people expect him to be. Around Hyunjin, he’s vulnerable, but loved. It’s a terrifying yet thrilling feeling. Changbin wants to savor every single moment of it.

Hyunjin smiles at him and cups both sides of his face. They kiss, during which Hyunjin lets his hands trail downwards, down to Changbin’s shoulders, where they slip under the fabric and force it to fall away. Soon Changbin is laid bare just like Hyunjin, and it’s like everything has finally fallen into place.

Hyunjin pulls back from their kiss and drags his eyes all over Changbin’s body, taking in each scar. Changbin doesn’t have many, which is a bit of a disappointment for a Seo warrior such as himself. But in the eyes of a Hwang, who values smooth, unscathed skin, he’s almost perfect.

Hyunjin smiles as his fingertips trace over the newest scar, right above Changbin’s knee. He was there when Changbin got that scar, when Changbin washed up with him on that deserted island, a chunk of one of their ships lodged in his leg. If it weren’t for Hyunjin, who removed that massive chunk of wood, cleaned the wound, and cauterized it, Changbin wouldn’t be here. He would be dead from an infection on some tiny rock of an island in the middle of the sea.

Changbin owes a lot to Hyunjin. His former enemy.

“Almost as good as new,” Changbin says.

“I thought it would be bigger, but it healed up nicely,” Hyunjin says. “Did you show it off to your brethren?”

“Naturally.” Changbin grins. “I made sure to tell them that a lovely mermaid saved me from drowning and nursed me back to health on an island paradise.”

Hyunjin rolls his eyes at that. “Well, in that case, a dwarf saved me.”

“Hey!”

Hyunjin laughs, completely unashamed, and Changbin playfully tugs him closer, wrapping his arms around him tightly. He plants a fat kiss on the top of Hyunjin’s head.

Then, of course, Hyunjin gets distracted by the _rest_ of Changbin’s body, specifically his biceps. He wastes no time wrapping his hands around them and giving a little squeeze, which makes Changbin snort.

“They’re so _big_ ,” Hyunjin says.

“Ah, a painful reminder that you love my muscles more than you love me,” Changbin teases.

“Ah, yes, I put up with you just because of your pecs.” Hyunjin moves his hands over Changbin’s pectorals, and Changbin almost shies away from the touch. “But you’re not just all rock solid muscle. You have a soft layer around it.” His hands go to Changbin’s stomach, which is not completely ripped. Instead, it’s soft and plush, and Hyunjin seems to adore it. He plants a kiss on it, and this time Changbin _does_ release Hyunjin as he squirms away, because he’s slightly ticklish. And he’s shy. He’s so shy. Being vulnerable like this isn’t easy.

Hyunjin giggles, and Changbin blushes a little at the sound.

“You’re gorgeous,” Hyunjin says. “You are. I wouldn’t change a single thing about you.”

Changbin just blushes harder at that and tries to hide his face, which makes Hyunjin laugh softly as he pulls him towards him.

“Am I the only one who gets to see this side of you?” Hyunjin asks once he has Changbin wrapped in his arms.

“Yes,” Changbin admits.

Hyunjin grins. “Lucky me.”

Changbin doesn’t have to ask if it’s the same for Hyunjin, because he know it’s true. Hyunjin doesn’t open up to just anyone. And he doesn’t just take lovers here and there like one would expect him to.

Just one of the many things Changbin learned about Hyunjin while on that island.

“What if,” Hyunjin says, still grinning, “instead of you showing me how much you love me, I take control for once?”

“But I want to show you how much I love you. I want to worship you.”

“You already have. So it’s your turn to be worshipped.”

Changbin blushes again, because he’s always thought of himself as the one to give and never to receive. It terrifies him as always, but a Seo can never balk in the face of fear. A Seo must be brave and strong…and know exactly when to relent. 

Plus…he trusts Hyunjin.

Changbin takes a deep breath but nods. “Alright. But I don’t know if I’ll be able to look at you.”

“What, am I just that hideous?”

“No, no—”

“I’m teasing,” Hyunjin cuts him off gently. “Whatever makes you comfortable.”

Changbin nods again, and Hyunjin cups his jaw, tilting his chin upwards before kissing him. As he kisses him, he shifts their positions, so Changbin is underneath him. Hyunjin gently lays Changbin down on the stone floor, where he pauses to reach for Changbin’s discarded crimson cloak. Hyunjin folds it into a makeshift pillow and tucks it under Changbin’s head, which makes Changbin smile. Hyunjin smiles back, then begins to kiss along Changbin’s jaw and down the side of his neck, while his hands roam Changbin’s body. Changbin tries to close his eyes and relax, but he’s still tense and trembling, and he doesn’t like how exposed he feels.

When he fails to relax, Hyunjin cups both sides of his face again and presses their noses together, forcing Changbin to open his eyes and look up at him.

“It’s okay,” Hyunjin murmurs. “It’s just you and me.”

“I know, I know, I just…” Changbin takes a deep, shaky breath. “I’m out of my element.”

Hyunjin smiles and kisses him again. “We don’t have to do it all tonight if you don’t want to. We can wait. We have all the time in the world.”

That’s a lie, and they both know it, but Changbin allows himself to indulge in the fantasy for tonight only.

“Can I just…hold you?” Changbin asks.

“Of course.” Hyunjin settles down on Changbin’s chest, and Changbin finally exhales the breath he’s been holding this whole time. He wraps his arms around Hyunjin, then presses a kiss into Hyunjin’s hair. He smells like lavender, and it makes Changbin smile.

“You finally took that long bath full of expensive, scented oils, huh?” Changbin asks.

  
“First thing I did after I got off that damned island, yep,” Hyunjin replies with a smirk. “Did you get that huge meal with ten different types of meat like you wanted?”

  
“There were only three types of meat, unfortunately.”

“Ah, you must have been so disappointed.”

“I was, at first. But then I ate until I was stuffed and felt much better.”

Hyunjin snorts at that.

Changbin is silent for a few moments, his thumb stroking Hyunjin’s shoulder, before he adds quietly, “Of course shortly after that, I realized that there was a new kind of hunger in me that I couldn’t satisfy no matter how much I tried. I had to wait until tonight.”

“And are you finally satisfied?” Hyunjin lifts his head to look at Changbin, a smirk on his face.

“Not quite,” Changbin says, smiling back. He brushes a lock of golden hair behind Hyunjin’s ear. “I don’t think I’ll ever be satisfied. I think I might just have to spend the rest of my life with you just to chase that hunger away.”

“You’re so poetic.”

“Love makes me sentimental.”

Hyunjin grins and kisses him one last time before settling back down on Changbin’s chest.

Changbin closes his eyes, focusing only on the feeling of Hyunjin in his arms, like he should be. Eventually, they both fall asleep. They don’t wake until right before daybreak, when the sky is just barely starting to lighten. That’s when they both have to get up and get dressed. Hyunjin helps Changbin with his armor again, using it as an excuse to touch him.

When they finally are dressed and ready to leave, Changbin holds Hyunjin’s hand and lifts it to his lips.

“Until the next new moon,” Changbin says, pressing a soft kiss to the back of Hyunjin’s hand.

“Until then,” Hyunjin says. His shoulders droop, while his eyes don’t have their familiar sparkle to them.

Changbin reaches out and cups his face one last time. “The time will pass quickly.”

“I just wish I could see you more often.”

“It’s not safe.”

“I know.” Hyunjin sighs.

“One day,” Changbin says. “One day, we will be together.”

“I can’t wait for that day,” Hyunjin says.

They kiss one last time, and then they have to part. Changbin goes in one direction, and Hyunjin goes in the other.

  
Neither of them look back.

~

They continue this arrangement for another three months, meeting only on the night of a new moon. The second time they meet, both of them remember to bring blankets and a cushion each, and they both laugh when they present their preparedness to each other at the ruins. Another time, Changbin thinks to bring his favorite wine, and Hyunjin surprises him with his favorite dessert. They have a relaxing evening together, where they share the dessert and lean against each other and sip at the wine while watching the stars overhead.

The last time they meet, they do not know that it is their last. They have both grown hopeful, as the war between their two nations has drawn to a lull. Both of them have brought up the prospect of a treaty of some sort to the other leaders of their kingdoms. Neither of them have been successful in having a genuine conversation about a peace treaty, yet, but they're trying.

Soon the war will be over. Soon they’ll be able to be together.

Changbin arrives at the ruins first, excitement thrumming through his veins. He can’t help but bounce on the balls of his feet in between pacing around the small room.

Hyunjin arrives a few minutes later, and Changbin breaks out into a smile when he sees him. Hyunjin mirrors that expression.

“Changbin,” he says in greeting.

“Hyunjin,” Changbin replies. Then he pulls him into a kiss, and he can’t help smiling.

“What are you so excited for?” Hyunjin asks, smiling as well when Changbin’s obvious happiness ruins their kiss.

“Because I have something for you,” Changbin says.

“Oh?”

Changbin smiles and takes Hyunjin’s hand. After giving it a brief squeeze, he reaches into the bag he has brought with him, slung over one shoulder. His fingers wrap around the cool metal, and he pulls out a dagger, still sheathed.

Hyunjin stiffens at the sight, but Changbin holds it flat on his two palms, presenting it to him.

“In the Seo Kingdom, a person’s weapon of choice is everything,” Changbin says. “It’s their symbol of status and honor, an extension of theirselves, a form of their soul. Children choose their weapon at thirteen, and they learn to use it and fight with that weapon only for the rest of their lives. Then, when they’re old enough, and when they are ready, they present their weapon to their chosen life partner as a token of their love. And if their love is true, then their partner will present their own weapon back to them in return.”

He takes a deep breath, then continues, “I cannot present my sword to you in proper Seo fashion, but I wanted to give you something similar. This is a betrothal dagger, an old form of the weapon exchange. No one really does it anymore, but I saw this, and I thought of you. So…I want you to have it.”

Hyunjin blinks at the dagger in Changbin’s hands. Slowly, he reaches out and runs his fingers over the metal. It’s crafted out of silver, with whorls mimicking the waves of the ocean within the sheath. Mother-of-pearl lines the areas between the whorls, accented with inlayed sapphires here and there. The largest sapphire is set into the hilt.

When Hyunjin finally unsheathes the dagger, he finds the silver blade so spotless that it reflects a perfect image of himself back at him. He stares down at it for several minutes, while Changbin watches his expression.

  
The longer Hyunjin stares, and the longer he stays silent, the more Changbin starts to worry.

Why isn’t he saying anything? Does he not like it?

Oh, gods, this was a mistake.

“I’m sorry,” he blurts when Hyunjin hasn’t said anything for several moments. “I…I should have thought this through. Presenting a dagger of all things during a _war_ when we’re trying to bring peace is—bad taste. I should have brought something else, like…like jewels or—or flowers or—a dove, even. A symbol of _peace_.”

Hyunjin looks up at him in surprise.

“I’m sorry. I understand if you don’t want it.” Changbin lowers his head.

“No, no, you have nothing to apologize for,” Hyunjin says, touching Changbin’s shoulder. “I was just—surprised. That’s all.”

“Surprised?”

“Yes. Or, speechless. I just…you’re always so good with words, and I always stumble over them, so I was trying to figure out how to express myself in a way that wouldn’t hurt you.”

Changbin immediately knows what he’s trying to say. His heart begins to break as his throat closes up, but he manages to keep it together on the outside.

“Oh,” he says.

“I just—” Hyunjin looks down at the dagger, at his reflection staring back at him, and he quickly sheaths the dagger.

“It’s okay,” Changbin says, swallowing. “I understand. You don’t have to say it.”

“I didn’t bring anything for you.”

“It’s alright, you didn’t need to.”

Hyunjin thinks for a moment, and Changbin avoids his eyes. He’s already thinking about how massively he misjudged their love affair, how he thought that they truly were life partners, that they were _soulmates._ But perhaps after some time, Hyunjin has changed his mind about them. Perhaps he’s decided he only wants this as a temporary fling, and the idea of _forever_ together sounds too daunting.

Gods, why did Changbin have to go into such a winded monologue about the importance of exchanging weapons and of becoming _life partners_? That’s a sure way to scare someone off, especially someone who isn’t _Seo_.

He swallows again, and at that moment, he hears the sound of Hyunjin drawing one of his dual swords.

Changbin tenses instinctively, his gaze finally snapping up to Hyunjin’s.

Hyunjin doesn’t use his sword on him, though. Instead, he turns the hilt towards Changbin, offering it to him.

“I don’t have a dagger to give you,” Hyunjin says, “but I do have my swords. I would trust no one more in the world to have one of my swords than you.”

Changbin stares at him, his eyes wide. Then, slowly, he reaches out to take the sword from Hyunjin, who smiles at him.

“But—” Changbin can’t believe what’s happening right now. “But you always fight with both your swords. You’re giving up part of your advantage by giving this to me.”

“Isn’t that the idea of life partners?” Hyunjin says. “By offering your weapon, you entrust a piece of your soul to them. You allow yourself to become temporarily weak as you search for another weapon that will serve you as well as the one you’ve given away to the person you love the most. So, during that time, your partner protects you, just as you protect them.” He gives a little shrug. “That’s what you’ll do for me as I search for my next pair of swords.”

Hyunjin, Changbin realizes, understands this concept of Seo culture a lot more than Changbin, the actual _Seo_ , does. And he feels like a fool as he looks at the dagger he gave Hyunjin.

“Then in that case, I’ve failed on my end,” he says.

Hyunjin’s brow furrows. “I don’t understand.”

Changbin shakes his head and draws his own sword. He runs his thumb lovingly over the hilt, knowing that this sword has served him faithfully. Then he hands the sword to Hyunjin.

“By giving you a weapon other than my sword, I haven’t been true to myself or you,” Changbin says. “I haven’t given you a true piece of myself. I haven’t allowed myself to be vulnerable or weak, and for that I am a coward. So, here is my sword.”

Hyunjin gives a gentle smile as Changbin lowers his head in shame. Then he steps forward and murmurs, “You are not a coward, Seo Changbin. You never have been.”

“I refuse to be vulnerable around you, so in a way I am a coward.” Changbin lets out a breath as he looks up at Hyunjin. “How am I supposed to be your life partner if I can’t even do that?”

“You have time,” Hyunjin says. “You have so much time. It’s all about growing together and learning together and trusting each other. It can take awhile, but we’ll get there. I’m not worried at all.”

He cups Changbin’s face and brushes away a stray tear with his thumb. Then he hugs Changbin to his chest, where Changbin closes his eyes and breathes in Hyunjin’s scent. He’s so warm. And soft. And gentle. Changbin doesn’t deserve him.

“I thought you were rejecting me,” Changbin murmurs quietly.

“What?”

“I overthought. You were so quiet when I gave you the dagger, I—I thought I overstepped. I thought that I had scared you off with my talk of being _life_ partners forever and I was so, so worried—”

“You could never scare me off, Seo Changbin.” Hyunjin’s lips stretch into a smile. “The dagger is gorgeous. So gorgeous that I don’t think I’ll ever actually use it in battle. No offense.”

Changbin snorts. “None taken. I thought it was beautiful as well. It reminded me of you, with all the blue and mother-of-pearl.”

“One day I’ll find a dagger with gold and red, and I’ll give it to you.”

“I look forward to that day.” Changbin looks up at Hyunjin and smiles.

  
Hyunjin smiles back, then kisses him. Changbin lets out the last breath he was holding as he closes his eyes and savors the feeling.

“I love you,” he whispers to Hyunjin in between kisses. “So much. It scares me sometimes.”

“I love you just as much, if not more,” Hyunjin replies. “And I really, really want to show it to you.”

“Giving me one of your precious swords isn’t enough?”

Hyunjin snorts. “You know what I mean.”

“I do.” Changbin exhales again, then nods. “I think I’m ready.”

“If you want me to stop at any time, just say so,” Hyunjin says. “Can you promise me that?”

“I promise. But I trust you.”

That night, Changbin finally lets himself be completely vulnerable. He lets Hyunjin worship him like Hyunjin has always wanted to. Hyunjin undresses him slowly, then caresses and kisses each expanse of Changbin’s body possible. Changbin still hides his face under one arm slung across his face, but the feeling of Hyunjin’s lips and hands and body all over him is euphoric.

And when Hyunjin finally puts his mouth on Changbin’s cock, Changbin almost sees stars. He had no idea that Hyunjin was that talented with his mouth, and Changbin finally lets go of all reservations as the pleasure takes over. In retrospect, he’s embarrassed by the moans and whines and gasps he made, but at the time being, he can’t help them one bit, and they seem to just spur Hyunjin on.

After teasing Changbin with every tantalizingly slow movement of his tongue around Changbin’s cock, Hyunjin pulls off at the last minute and replaces his mouth with his hand. Changbin lets out a choked, high-pitched whine as he bucks his hips up, trying desperately to chase that orgasm. But Hyunjin has stopped him, and now Changbin just wants _more_.

“Who knew you could sound this heavenly,” Hyunjin muses, smiling from where he’s still in between Changbin’s legs. He rests his cheek against Changbin’s thigh.

Changbin barely manages to force out, “Curse you.”

Hyunjin just laughs, then says, “I didn’t want it to be over so soon. I have other plans.”

“Other plans?” Changbin lifts his head to look at him, his body still straining.

Hyunjin grins, then licks a long stripe over Changbin’s hole and up his perineum. Changbin lets out a moan almost instantly as he squirms.

“Tug on my hair if you want me to stop,” Hyunjin says. Then he lowers his head again, his tongue tracing that tight circle of muscle before plunging in.

Changbin chokes back a sound as he throws his head back, his body arching. He never thought of receiving something like this before, but with Hyunjin’s movements, it’s _heavenly_. He wants more and more, and he’s wiggling his hips without realizing it, trying to get Hyunjin to fuck his tongue in and out of him.

Hyunjin responds by slipping a finger in alongside his tongue. With those long, slender fingers, he’s able to reach that sensitive bundle of nerves with ease, and warmth and pleasure shoot through Changbin’s body as he cries out.

He wants to _come_. He wants to come so badly, but Hyunjin’s movements are so tantalizingly slow, and his cock is bright red and leaking more than he’s ever experienced in his life, and he just needs—

“ _Hyunjin!_ ”

Hyunjin pulls away long enough to smile innocently up at his lover. “Yes, love?”

“Please,” Changbin begs. “I just—I want to come—”

Hyunjin grins, then leans over Changbin, though he keeps one finger still stuck inside of him. “That’s why I saved the best for last.”

He finally takes his finger out of Changbin, then reaches for the vial of oil. He makes quick work slicking his fingers up and reaching back and stretching himself, making sure to moan and gasp at each movement, just to rile Changbin up more. Changbin wants to take both of their cocks in his hand and finish them off quickly, but Hyunjin intercepts his hands and pins both of Changbin’s wrists down. Changbin could easily overpower him if he wanted to, but he’s too aroused by the fact that Hyunjin is attempting to restrain him.

Finally, Hyunjin is ready, and he wastes no time grabbing Changbin’s cock— _finally_ —lining himself up, and sinking down.

“Don’t move,” he tells Changbin before Changbin can thrust up into him. “I’m going to make you come all on my own.”

Changbin manages a lazy grin, and Hyunjin grins back. That’s the only moment of mercy Changbin gets before Hyunjin starts fucking himself on Changbin’s cock, and it drives Changbin _crazy_. Hyunjin pulls off almost all the way and slams himself back down and grinds into Changbin like his life depends on it, all while throwing his head back and moaning Changbin’s name loudly. He rolls his body, showing off every inch of his beautiful torso, and Changbin is transfixed by how _sinful_ he looks. That image is only made worse as Hyunjin starts whining even louder and forces tears and cries about how good Changbin is fucking him and how he wants more and more and don’t stop don’t stop oh _gods_ _Changbin_ —

Changbin blacks out as he comes, his whole body convulsing and thrumming with the most intense pleasure he’s ever felt in his life. He feels like he’s floating as his head spins and his veins buzz. He wants it to last forever, and it almost seems like it does.

  
Slowly, he comes back to himself and finds Hyunjin hunched over his chest, still trembling with the aftershocks of his own orgasm.

“Oh my gods,” Hyunjin slurs, totally not in the right headspace. “ _Changbin—_ ”

Changbin wraps his arms around him and presses a kiss to his forehead. Hyunjin nuzzles into his chest, murmuring, “That sound you made when you came—oh gods—it was so loud and beautiful and I just _lost it—_ ”

“You’re amazing, you know that?” Changbin says, still feeling all floaty and tingly, but also exhausted. He just wants to sleep with this beautiful being cradled in his arms. “Gods, you fucked me so good, Hyunjin.”

“What can I say,” Hyunjin mumbles, already drifting off. “I love you.”

Both of them drift off right after that.

~

Parting the next morning is agony, in Changbin’s opinion.

“We’ll see each other again, just one more month,” Hyunjin says, smiling as he holds Changbin’s hands. “The time will pass quickly. Isn’t that what you told me after our first night together?”

“Yes, but it’s different this time.” Changbin pouts. “I don’t want to be without my life partner.”

“Well, we could always run away together. Escape to a foreign land, somewhere by the sea, and live out our lives in a little village where no one knows our names.” Hyunjin’s smile stretches into a grin at the thought.

It’s a nice fantasy, but Changbin can’t indulge in it.

“We can’t leave our kingdoms like this,” he says quietly. “We have to find a way to end this war. Then we can be together.”

“You’re right.” Hyunjin sighs and presses their foreheads together.

They share one last sweet kiss, and then they have to pull apart.

“I can’t wait until I see you again,” Hyunjin says, his eyes sparkling despite his sadness. “It keeps me going.”

“You took the words right out of my mouth,” Changbin replies.

With one last gaze at each other, they finally turn and walk in opposite directions. Changbin touches the hilt of his sword at his side, as if he can still feel Hyunjin’s lingering touch on it. In the end, they decided it would be safer if they held onto their own weapons. It would be disastrous for both of them if they were caught with one of the enemy’s weapons. So, for now, they returned their swords to their rightful owners, knowing that the gesture from the night before still stands regardless.

Unlike the last few times, Changbin looks over his shoulder as he rides away, gaining one last glimpse of his beloved Hyunjin before he disappears from view.

~

Upon arriving to the Seo Castle, Changbin finds it bustling with energy. He frowns as he rides into the courtyard and dismounts. Soldiers are running here and there, adorned in full battle armor. Changbin slips between the commotion, up the steps, and through the archways of the main pavilion. Inside is the war room, where Jisung is bent over the map strewn across the massive marble slab of a table.

“What’s going on?” Changbin asks, striding up to him.

“Oh, there you are.” Jisung straightens and grins at him. “Slept in, did you? I don’t know how you could with all this racket.”

“I went out for a ride to clear my head,” Changbin says. This isn’t a complete lie—sometimes he rides along the Seo coast in the early morning. It’s a kind of peace he rarely encounters in the loud, boisterous Seo Castle.

“Oh, good. You’ll need a clear head for this.” Jisung taps the map. “We’re attacking the Hwang Castle today.”

Changbin can’t help snorting at that. “The Hwang Castle? You’re joking. That fortress is impenetrable. You know that.”

“I do,” Jisung agrees. “But it’s time.”

Changbin frowns at his confidence and glances down at the map. The Hwang Castle is more of a small city, carved out of white marble and set atop a white cliff that overlooks the cerulean sea. The sheer cliff is unscalable, while the winding road leading up to the city is a perfect place for an ambush. Changbin has even heard that there are secret passageways and ancient traps all over the white cliff, which has helped the Hwangs move about the city with ease and escape dangerous situations.

It’s impossible to take this city. No, it’s not just impossible—it’s a _death wish_.

Changbin tells this all to Jisung, who listens with a smile, his eyes sparkling.

“I know,” he says. “But this time will be different.”

Changbin sighs. “Jisung—”

“We have _this_.” Jisung holds out his hand.

Changbin looks down at whatever Jisung’s fingers are curled protectively around. Jisung uncurls his fingers, and Changbin’s stomach pitches.

Resting in the palm of his hand is a handful of crimson flowers, one of the rarest flowers of all, grown only in the Seo Castle garden. It’s called a blood flower, named after the War God—the patron god of the Seo Kingdom—spilled his blood in battle on a patch of white flowers, turning them crimson. Whoever ingests this blood flower receives the power of the War God himself, allowing him to flow through them and give them unstoppable strength and invincibility.

In the past, only the greatest Seo warriors have swallowed it, due to the finite amount growing in the garden. But in recent years, the flower has shown impressive growth, and Changbin supposes that there is enough for one battalion to take it.

But a single battalion cannot possibly take the Hwang Castle, even _with_ the War God on their side. The Hwangs’ defensive advantage and notable battle strategy skills—gifts given to them by their patron god, the Wisdom God—would still force the Seos back. If the Seos were somehow able to draw the Hwangs out of the castle and onto a battlefield, then the score might be even. But the Hwangs will never leave their castle. They’re too smart for that.

Besides…Changbin has heard stories of the greatest warriors ingesting that flower. With great power comes serious consequences. Usually these warriors become so bloodthirsty that a single bloody battle can never satisfy them. They lose themselves to war. It can take hours for them to come back to themselves, if they even come back at all. In serious cases, when they can’t disconnect themselves from the War God, they are put down. It is considered the highest honor to fall in that way.

Changbin doesn’t want to lose himself to battle. He doesn’t want to fight anymore at all. This war has drawn on for too long. He longs for peace.

“That’s not a good idea,” he tells Jisung.

“But it is!” Jisung insists, pushing the flower towards him. Changbin can’t help backing away. “With our God on our side, we will be able to wipe the Hwangs from existence, once and for all!”

“Wipe them from _existence_? You’re talking about genocide!”

Jisung’s eyes narrow. “Why the sudden reluctance, Bin? They’re our _enemies_. They’re a plague to the world. They’re dangerous, and we’re the only ones who stand in the way of them taking over the entire world. We’re doing the rest of the unassuming, innocent world a _favor_ by taking care of the Hwangs. It’s for the greater good!”

“They’re just people, Sung,” Changbin whispers. “They have families, _children_ —do they deserve to be slaughtered?”

“They’re Hwangs,” Jisung scoffs. “They’ve already been indoctrinated. They can’t be saved, because they aren’t _innocent_. Besides, do you think a Hwang would hesitate to kill your children, if you had any? Do you think there’s a world where a Seo child would be safe if that world still had Hwangs in it? _No_. The answer is _no_. We have to do this.”

He pushes the flower towards Changbin more insistently, and Changbin shakes his head and steps back.

“No,” he says. “I will not be apart of this. I refuse. There is no honor in destroying an entire culture through genocide.”

Jisung stares at him, his jaw dropped. Then he scowls. “There is no _honor_ in going against your own people. You’re weak, Bin. And you’ve been weak for too long. It’s time to toughen you up again. Time to make you into that fearless general that our soldiers deserve.”

“Valuing human life isn’t weakness,” Changbin says. “Showing _mercy_ isn’t weakness. It’s what makes us _human._ ”

Jisung just stares at him, and Changbin stares back. For a moment, there’s no sound in the war room except for the crackling of the fire in the center of the table. Outside, soldiers still shout and run about, gearing up for battle. There’s the faintest sound of a beating war drum, stirring up the compound even further.

Changbin stares at Jisung, refusing to back down. If being with Hyunjin has taught him anything, it’s that his enemy is not so different from him. At the end of the day, they are both human, full of fear, with a family back home. They don’t want to die. They want to live. They want _peace_.

Eventually, Jisung exhales and shakes his head. “You’re right,” he says quietly.

Changbin blinks at him. “What?”

“I just get…caught up in it sometimes.” Jisung stares down at the flower in his hands. “What are we _doing_ , Bin? When has our life revolved around something other than war?”

“War is all we know,” Changbin says. “But it doesn’t have to be. We can change. We can work for peace. We don’t have to fight the Hwangs. We don’t have to destroy them. We can find a way to live in harmony together. I believe it’s possible, more than anything—more than I even believe in this war.”

Jisung watches him with bright eyes, and Changbin takes him by the shoulders and squeezes.

“We may have inherited this feud from our fathers, but we don’t need to perpetuate it,” Changbin insists, staring into Jisung’s eyes. “We can work for a new world, I know it. And I know the Hwangs know it, too.”

Jisung exhales, his eyes wide. “You think so?”

“I do.” Changbin gives a soft smile.

Slowly, Jisung smiles back. The sight bring immense relief to Changbin. His bright, childhood best friend is still in there. He’s not too far gone. If Changbin can win over Jisung, then together they can win over the rest of their kingdom.

“Well, then.” Jisung sighs and sets the flower on the table. He reaches for a goblet of wine and holds it out to Changbin. “I guess you’ve changed my mind.”

“I knew you didn’t believe in this.” Changbin takes the goblet from him. “I knew that the friend I had grown up with wouldn’t just slaughter a whole culture like that. You have no idea how happy this makes me, to know that you’re on my side.”

“What are friends for?” Jisung grins as he holds up his goblet. “To a new world.”

“To a new world,” Changbin echoes, lifting his own goblet in reply.

He and Jisung drink at the same time, with Jisung watching Changbin like a hawk over the rim of his goblet.

The moment Changbin swallows the red liquid, he realizes his mistake. It burns down his throat, filling his veins with fire, and Changbin staggers. The goblet falls from his hand, it contents splashing on the floor, resembling spilled blood in the firelight. Barely visible in the liquid are torn, crimson petals.

Jisung just smirks at him, his lips curling into a cruel smile.

“I appreciate your passion and idealism, my friend,” he says. “And we _will_ create a better world, one that our fathers fought so hard for. It’ll just be a bit different than the one you imagined. There will be peace, though. I promise you that.”

Changbin clutches at his throat as he chokes, the fire spreading all throughout his body. He falls to a knee and squeezes his eyes shut, trying to think of Hyunjin and all his love and kindness. But no matter how hard he tries to think of his lover—his life partner, his _soulmate_ —the images of fire and suffering and bloodshed fill his mind. They bombard him until a hunger begins to grow in his stomach, a hunger for pain and suffering and vengeance.

He does think of Hyunjin again, but this time he thinks of the terror in Hyunjin’s eyes and the blood splattering on his face as Changbin cuts him down. He dreams of how Hyunjin will struggle when his hands wring that tiny, slender neck, how he’ll beg for mercy, and how Changbin will never give it to him. He’ll make him suffer a slow and painful death, and he’ll enjoy every single moment of it.

The thought makes him smile, and he opens his eyes. When he looks up at Jisung, he finds that Jisung’s eyes are glowing with a bright red light. Changbin wonders if his eyes look the same.

“There you are, brother.” Jisung smiles at him. “It’s good to have you back in the right mindset.”

And Changbin smiles in reply.

~

Hyunjin sleeps half the day away in his airy, sunny room, and when he wakes, he smiles to himself. He dreamed of Changbin again, of Changbin’s gentle touches and sweet sounds. Hyunjin sighs wistfully as he stretches out on his chaise lounge. He can’t wait to see his lover again. Just one more month.

He gets up, bathes, and dresses in his favorite set of robes—pristine, white robes embroidered with shimmery white thread and accented with silver and cerulean blue underneath. It matches the dagger Changbin gifted him.

Hyunjin takes out the dagger from where he hid it under his pillow and runs his fingertips over the silver whorls. It’s so beautiful. Hyunjin can’t help but smile as he thinks of Changbin and their vow to each other while looking at it. He ends up tucking it under his robes, keeping it close to him at all times.

When he finally leaves his rooms, he strides down the bright hallways to the war room, where he finds Chan and Minho sitting close together on the steps of the massive fountain in the center. Hyunjin’s eyes go to Chan’s hand, resting on Minho’s thigh, and he can’t help snorting.

Then he marches into the room, whining loudly, “I’m _hungryyyy_!”

Chan and Minho practically spring apart, putting a huge space in between them and attempting to look like they weren’t just undressing each other with their eyes or feeling each other up in public.

Hyunjin smirks at the two of them. “Wow. Subtle.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Minho says, looking Hyunjin right in the eye as Chan coughs and rubs at the back of his neck, which is bright red.

“I see I’ve slept in so late that I’ve missed both breakfast _and_ lunch,” Hyunjin says. “Is there any food left for me?”

“I can go ask the cooks,” Chan says, already jumping up and running out of the room.

Hyunjin snorts, smirking as he goes. Then his eyes go back to Minho.

“Soooo,” Hyunjin says, sitting down next to Minho and leaning right into his space. “How long have you two been fucking and why didn’t you tell me?”

Minho turns bright red. “We are not _fucking._ We were just _sitting together_.”

“And feeling each other up. I saw Chan’s hand.”

Minho’s blush turns impossibly redder.

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone. There’s no one to tell, since literally _everyone_ already knows.” Hyunjin leans back against the fountain. “I think, if anything, people would just say _about damn time._ ”

Minho shoves him, but he’s still blushing.

“Do you love him?” Hyunjin asks.

Minho glances at him, then glances away. “I do,” he says quietly.

Hyunjin smiles at that, his mind already wandering to Changbin.

Minho glances at him again, then does a double-take. “Oh. _Oh_. I see how it is!”

“What?” Hyunjin blinks and looks at him. “What did I do?”

“You have that _look_ on your face.” Minho points a finger at him. “You’re fucking someone too!”

“Am not!” Hyunjin squeaks, batting Minho’s finger away.

“You are! I see that look on your face!” And Minho naturally cackles, already back to his old self instead of the shy, blushing, lovestruck version. “Who is it, hmm? Is it a soldier? Or perhaps a servant? No, no, it’s _definitely_ a soldier. Maybe one of the guards, since you love a man who’s strong and can protect you while also manhandling you and fucking you into oblivion.”

“ _Minho_!” Hyunjin hisses, already bright red.

“Who _is it_?” Minho nudges him repeatedly, trying to get him to open up.

Hyunjin’s saved from answering by Chan, who returns with a bowl of rice and a jug of wine.

“It’s not much, but it should hold you over until dinner,” Chan says, giving the bowl to Hyunjin.

“Hyunjin has a _loverrrr_ ,” Minho sings out to Chan.

“What?” Chan looks down at Hyunjin in surprise, while Hyunjin shoves a spoonful of rice into his mouth to avoid talking. “Who? Who is it?”

“He won’t tell, but I know how to make him talk.” Minho smirks.

Hyunjin quickly swallows and exclaims, “I’m not telling you!”

“I think it’s one of the guards,” Minho tells Chan. “Someone strong, with a great body and an even greater dick.”

“That sounds like Chan,” Hyunjin scoffs, and somehow that’s the one thing that makes _all_ of them blush at the same time. Hyunjin stuffs his mouth with more rice and washes it down with a gulp of wine.

Before any of them can figure out what to say to _that_ , the sound of a horn pierces through the castle, making them all look up.

“What is that?” Minho asks, even though they all already know.

Chan tenses, looking towards the doorway of the war room. Within seconds, a guard bursts through it, shouting, “General! The Seos—their army—they’re approaching the city!”

Minho snorts. “They can’t possibly expect to take the city.”

“They’ve cut down all of our outposts in their path, sir,” the guard says, his face white, his eyes wide with fear. “They’ve destroyed villages within seconds. They’re unstoppable.”

Minho stands and lifts his chin. “Well, other armies have done the same and have all been stopped before they take the Hwang Castle. These Seos will be no different.”

Hyunjin swallows the bile that has risen in his throat, the wine churning uncomfortably in his stomach.

“Raise the defenses,” Minho orders the guard. “Prepare the traps. Get everyone into armor and into their assigned positions. The Hwang Castle will not fall today.”

Then, with that, he strides off, with the guard scurrying after him.

Chan looks down at Hyunjin, who has curled into himself, trying to make himself as small as possible.

“It’s alright,” Chan tells Hyunjin gently. “We’ll get through this.”

“That’s not what I’m worried about,” Hyunjin whispers, staring straight ahead with wide eyes.

Chan doesn’t say anything else, because at that moment, more horns ring around the castle, along with drums and bells, signaling everyone to their defensive positions. Chan rushes off, leaving Hyunjin alone on the steps of the fountain.

~

Hyunjin changes into his armor as quickly as he can, though his trembling hands slow him down. He straps both of his swords to his sides, then clips the dagger from Changbin next to his left sword.

When he’s done, he slips his helmet over his head and rushes out of his room.

The castle is strangely quiet except for a distant roar, which could almost be the ocean. Everyone is already in their positions as Hyunjin rushes to the highest pavilion, to a balcony where Minho already stands at the stone wall, Chan at his shoulder. Two dozen or so guards stand behind them, all in full, silver battle armor, their blue capes billowing in the wind. Hyunjin steps into his place at Minho’s other shoulder, swallowing as he looks down over the city.

His stomach pitches when he sees the field just outside the city. “Is that—?”

He doesn’t finish his question, and no one answers. They don’t need to.

The black, writhing mass blanketing the field beyond the Hwang Castle walls is none other than the Seo army, advancing towards them at a breakneck speed. The roar that Hyunjin heard grows louder and louder the closer they come.

Hyunjin wonders if Changbin is down there. Is he on the front lines, valiantly leading his men into battle?

“First trap,” Minho says, and the note from a horn signaling that trap echoes throughout the city.

The first trap deploys. A section of catacombs collapses at the entrance of the city, creating a deep abyss that would bar most armies from advancing. But the Seo army is faster than expected; by the time the tunnel collapses, at least half of the Seos have already rushed through the first gatehouse, surging through the winding road that leads up to the rest of the city.

“Second, third traps,” Minho orders.

Two more horns ring out, and more traps deploy. A rolling boulder that should take out at least twenty men. A current of kerosene that floods the road, igniting moments later when the fourth trap, releasing hundreds of flaming arrows, deploys.

Only a fraction of the Seo army is slowed by these initial traps that should have been devastating.

  
Hyunjin’s eyes widen in horror while Minho leans forward, watching as the Seos surge forward, some covered in flames, others with arrows sticking out of them. Their roar never falters even for a moment.

“Something’s wrong,” Hyunjin whispers.

“No army has ever gotten past the first five traps,” Minho says. “Sixth trap! ARCHERS!”

The sixth trap is more collapsing tunnels. The archers in one of the lower pavilions release their arrows into the collapsed tunnels, picking off the Seos that fell there. And yet, even when pierced with arrows, the Seos continue moving, crawling up and out of the trenches. They surge towards the second gatehouse, where the first Hwang soldiers wait for them.

Hyunjin will never forget the sound of the Hwang and Seo army clashing. The Seos’ roar isn’t loud enough to drown out the bloodcurdling wails and screams of the Hwang soldiers, and within mere minutes, the Seos are already moving through the second gatehouse and up the road, towards the third.

Minho stares in horror at their advancement.

“Impossible,” he whispers.

“Something is _wrong_ ,” Hyunjin insists.

“They’re almost not…human,” Chan says, his face paler than usual.

“SEVENTH TRAP!” Minho roars above the sounds of battle.

They deploy the seventh trap, and then the eighth, and then the ninth. Two more gatehouses fall. The street is filled with blood, visible even from the highest pavilion.

This isn’t just a battle, Hyunjin realizes after a few moments. This is a massacre.

When the twelfth and final trap deploys, and the Seos still surge forward, Minho turns to Hyunjin and grips his shoulders.

“You need to leave,” Minho says, looking Hyunjin right in the eye.

  
“What?” Hyunjin says.

“You need to go. Use the passageway in your room. Get as far away from here as possible.”

“Minho—”

“Chan will escort you,” Minho adds, turning to his faithful lieutenant. “He’ll hold them off if they come for you.”

  
“No, I’m not leaving,” Hyunjin says.

  
“You have to,” Minho says. “You’re the last true Hwang, the next leader, the future of our kingdom. If you don’t escape, then the Hwangs are done for. We’ll be erased from history. You need to _leave_ , and you need to _live_. Go rebuild the Hwang Kingdom somewhere else.”

“But—I can’t leave you—I can’t _lose you—_ ”

Minho turns to Chan, ordering, “Chan, take him.”

“No!” Hyunjin resists when Chan tries to take him gently by the arm. “I’m not running away like some _coward_.”

“This is not cowardice,” Minho says. “Cowardice reflects the actions of a single man. This is bigger than that. This is the preservation of an entire culture. _Go_.”

“ _Minho!_ ” Hyunjin cries out for him one last time as Chan pulls him away. Minho’s set of guards move in front of Hyunjin, blocking Minho from his view.

Chan pulls him through the pavilion and down the steps to hallway below, where Hyunjin’s room is. The sounds of Hwangs being butchered echo though the tall hallways, so loud that it’s like the Seos are right there already. It makes Hyunjin freeze in his tracks, trembling with fear. He doesn’t want to die. But he doesn’t want to lose Minho. Or Chan. Or his _home_.

The screaming grows louder, and Chan wrenches Hyunjin into his room. He goes over to a painting on the wall, which he pushes aside to reveal a dark tunnel leading into the depths of the cliff.

Chan shoves him towards it. “Go.”

“Aren’t you coming with me?” Hyunjin stumbles and resists moving any further.

“I’ll hold them off and make sure they don’t follow you,” Chan says, glancing over his shoulder. The roar of the Seo army is growing louder and louder, to the point where it’s almost deafening. They’re practically outside Hyunjin’s room.

“ _GO!_ ” Chan shoves Hyunjin into the tunnel, right as the first Seo comes into view. Chan draws his sword as he turns, and the painting falls in front of the passageway, cutting off Hyunjin’s sight.

Hyunjin hears the clash of metal outside the passageway, and he wants to leap out and defend Chan to his last breath, but then Chan cries out, and Hyunjin knows it’s too late.

With tears streaming down his face, he turns and sprints through the dark tunnel, stumbling and tripping occasionally. He always pushes himself back up and continues on, even when it becomes so dark that he can’t see his hand in front of his face. Cobwebs stick to his armor and skin, and he wipes at them, shuddering when he imagines the feeling of spiders crawling on him. But he continues on. He runs and runs and runs.

Then, he hears it—the echo of a shout and a roar through the tunnel. The Seos have discovered the passageway. They’re coming for him.

Pure terror—the kind of terror that arises from being hunted—shoots through Hyunjin. Instead of freezing him in his tracks, it propels him, filling him with adrenaline and the need to survive. Hyunjin runs even faster, but he also becomes clumsier as he trips over uneven ground and bashes into the walls of the tunnel as it curves and twists in front of him.

By the time he sees the outline of an opening up ahead, he’s sobbing even harder than before. He throws himself against the door at the end of the tunnel and tumbles out, the sunlight blinding him. He scrambles to his feet and shuts the door behind him, then searches frantically for anything to move in front of it to slow the Seos down.

He finds a small boulder nearby, and he rolls it in front of the door. Then he sucks in a deep breath and turns around, trying to figure out where this passageway has let out.

He freezes when he finds himself in a set of ruins. And not just any ruins. He recognizes them.

He’s in the same bedroom where he and Changbin escaped to for the darkest night of the month.

It seems like a dream. A cruel dream. Hyunjin doesn’t feel relieved. It just breaks his heart, a reminder of a foolish love affair that could never become anything more.

He should have spent that time with his kingdom instead. With Minho, and with Chan. He should have tried harder to create peace, but instead he let himself get carried away in childish fantasies.

Hyunjin shakes his head at himself. He’ll never see Changbin again. He’ll never _be_ with Changbin again. He has to run, to escape to one of the Hwangs’ neighboring allies. Hopefully they will offer him asylum and a chance to preserve his culture.

The sound of a boulder rolling away makes him go rigid. He has wasted too much time. He’s already too late.

No, he is not. He’ll fight. And he’ll win. And he’ll escape. He is not going to fail Minho. He will not let Minho and Chan’s sacrifice be in vain.

So Hyunjin draws his dual swords and turns to face the Seo emerging from the secret passageway.

And his heart sputters and dies in his chest when he recognizes him.

Changbin steps out of the tunnel, covered in blood, his beloved sword held in front of him and gleaming crimson. His eyes lock on Hyunjin, and Hyunjin takes a step back.

Those eyes—there’s something wrong with them. They’re glowing red. They don’t see Hyunjin at all. They don’t _recognize_ him at all.

“Changbin,” Hyunjin whispers, horrified.

Changbin just lets out a yell and lunges at him.

Hyunjin deflects his blow, but Changbin’s strength almost catches him off-guard. His arms ache from that single blow, and he knows immediately that he is no match for him.

“Changbin!” Hyunjin yells, deflecting another blow as Changbin charges at him. “Changbin, stop! It’s me! It’s Hyunjin!”

Changbin shows no sign of hearing him. If anything, he fights harder, putting more brute force behind his blows. Hyunjin deflects them the best he can, the tears beginning to stream down his face once again as he realizes that he’ll have to fight back.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers.

He stops deflecting and starts lunging. Changbin bats his attacks away like they’re nothing. But Hyunjin lands a few blows here and there; a slice on Changbin’s upper arm, a jab to the thigh, a shallow slash to the side. Nothing fazes Changbin. Nothing slows him down. His eyes blaze brighter and brighter as his snarl mars his face, his beautiful, beautiful face. He’s completely unrecognizable because of the monster that’s controlling him.

Hyunjin knows the end is near when one of his dual swords breaks.

It shatters in his hands, unable to take one last powerful blow from Changbin’s sword. Hyunjin ducks the next swing at his head and leaps backwards, trying to put some distance between the two of him.

It can’t end this way. It can’t. He can’t lose Changbin like this.

He has to try another angle.

“Changbin!” he shouts again, dodging another one of Changbin’s attacks. “It’s me! It’s your Hyunjin! I know you’re still in there. I know you can come back to me. _Please,_ please come back to me.”

Changbin responds by slicing open Hyunjin’s leg, making Hyunjin cry out as he staggers. He blocks one last blow from Changbin, his second sword already beginning to splinter.

Hyunjin stabs Changbin in the shoulder, then darts backwards again, staggering from the pain in his leg.

“Please,” he begs Changbin. “You know me. We were enemies. We survived a shipwreck and washed up on a deserted island. I saved your life when I nursed you back to health from an infected wound. You saved _my_ life when you helped me get off that island. You vowed to protect me once we got back to the mainland. You would never _hurt me_.”

Changbin advances towards him slowly, like a predator stalking its prey and finally closing in for the kill.

Hyunjin backs up further, only for his back to hit the wall of the cliff. He’s backed himself into a corner. There’s no way out.

“You gave me your sword,” Hyunjin whispers. “And I gave you yours, after you gave me that dagger.”

_The dagger_.

Hyunjin fumbles for it and quickly unsheathes it, holding it up for Changbin to see. “You gave me this. It’s a symbol of your love for me. You _know me_. Please, please see this—see _me_.”

Changbin pauses at the sight of the dagger, and a small measure of hope begins to bloom in Hyunjin’s chest.

“You’re still in there,” Hyunjin whispers.

Then he tries one last thing, one last resort—he drops both the dagger and his sword. Then he slowly reaches up and takes off his helmet, which he holds out and drops on the ground.

Changbin follows the movement with those unnerving, blazing red eyes.

“You told me once while we were trying to survive on that island,” Hyunjin says, choking back the sobs. “You told me that a Seo would never hurt an unarmed man, that it’s part of your honor code. And you are the most honorable Seo I have ever met. You would never hurt me. You love me, and I love you.”

Changbin studies him for a few moments, during which Hyunjin holds his breath.

“Please, Changbin,” he whispers. “Come back to me, love.”

Changbin blinks at him.

Then he runs him through with his sword.

Hyunjin chokes, the pain exploding through his chest. Changbin shows no emotion whatsoever as he plunges his sword through Hyunjin’s breastplate like it’s nothing and angles sharply upwards, into Hyunjin’s heart. Then, as if that isn’t bad enough, he slowly lifts Hyunjin upwards, the sword cutting through Hyunjin’s body. It’s excruciating, and Hyunjin lets out a choked, horrified scream.

“Changbin—” he whispers, the blood filling his mouth.

Changbin yanks the sword out of him, and Hyunjin crumples to the floor.

The last thing he sees as he chokes on his own blood are Changbin’s retreating feet.

He leaves him there to die alone, his blood staining the stone floor.

~

Changbin doesn’t remember anything. He only remembers seeing red and of the sweet screams of the dying filling his ears.

When he comes to—when he finally blinks away that terrible red—he’s in the Hwang Castle. He knows this because he recognizes the white marble arches and the lofty ceilings. He also knows this because of the dead Hwangs littering the hallways, their blood soaking the floor.

Changbin stares at them in horror as he slowly begins walking through the hallways. He finds himself scanning the faces as he steps carefully over their bodies. Some of them don’t even have any faces anymore. Some of them have bodies so mangled that they look more like butchered animals than humans.

His stomach churns, but he swallows the bile.

He walks past a bedroom, where a single man is pinned to the floor by his own sword. Changbin hesitates and turns to look, horror and nausea filling his every being as he steps into the bedroom. He approaches the man slowly, preparing to look into the face of the man he loved more than anything—

This man has pale skin, matted brown curls, full lips, and a slightly larger nose. It’s not him.

_It’s not Hyunjin._

Changbin exhales in relief, though he doesn’t know why. Just because Hyunjin didn’t die here doesn’t mean he’s alive.

He steps out of the bedroom and continues making his way down the hall and up the short, wide staircase, where the rooms open up to a pavilion and a wide balcony. It’s even more of a massacre out here. An entire section of guards—wiped out. Bodies strewn everywhere. Marble slick with blood. Broken spears and swords sticking out of corpses. Changbin scans their faces, but none of them are familiar.

“We did it,” a voice says.

Changbin looks to the other end of the pavilion. Jisung stands there, covered in blood and grinning. He holds his side, and he winces slightly as he steps towards Changbin.

“We took the Hwang Castle,” Jisung continues. “And you said it was impossible. _Pfft_.”

“You’re injured.” Changbin stares at him.

“Oh.” Jisung looks down at his side and winces again. “Yeah. Nothing too terrible. The last fucking Hwang gave it to me, but I made sure he regretted it.”

He harshly kicks the body closest to him. Changbin’s eyes go to the dead man’s face immediately. He takes in the sharp cheekbones, sharp nose, and glassy, catlike eyes, then the mangled neck, almost completely severed from the head. Changbin accidentally catches a glimpse of the man’s torso, where half of his internal organs are spilled out across the marble, like some sacrificial animal.

He forces himself to look away, his stomach churning. _It’s not Hyunjin._

“We killed them all,” Jisung says, grinning like a madman. His teeth are stained red. “The Hwangs cease to exist as of this moment. This war is over. There is finally _peace_.”

Changbin shakes his head as he begins to back away. “No. _No_. This isn’t right.”

“A little late for that, Changbin. Last I saw you, you were grinning from ear to ear as you cut men down left and right. Most of those guards in the hallway you cut down yourself. You even made impressive work with that one Hwang in the bedroom.”

Changbin shakes his head harder, bile filling his mouth. “This is wrong,” he whispers. “This is _wrong_.” Then he turns and runs, trying not to slip on the slick, bloody marble.

He runs and runs. He runs through the Hwang Castle, frantically scanning the faces of the bodies littering every inch of the place. He dodges other victorious Seos, all of them grinning and dancing around and shouting about how they’ve destroyed the demonic Hwangs once and for all. Some of them drag bodies through the hallways and make a game out of dismembering and mangling them further. Changbin wants to snap their necks, or maybe puke in their faces, but he keeps running instead.

He finally runs out of the Hwang Castle, where he finds a horse and mounts it. He takes off across the field, coaxing the horse to a full gallop. The farther he gets from that Castle drenched in blood and death, the better.

It’s only when his vision blurs that he realizes he’s crying. Sobbing, in fact. He tries to wipe the tears away, but when he catches sight of his bloody hands, he only cries harder.

Soon, the familiar set of small cliffs come into view. The ruins materialize out of them, and Changbin throws himself off his horse, stumbling when he hits the ground. He staggers up the broken stairs, wanting nothing but to just get to a place of safety—a place of _peace_ —where there’s life and not death. He needs to get the stench of battle out of his nose.

As he runs into the room where he expressed his love to Hyunjin, he slams to a stop.

It smells of blood and death in here as well. And this time, he knows who he’ll find.

It still doesn’t keep Changbin from praying that it isn’t him, that it’s someone else, that it’s a Seo, possibly, cut down as he escaped.

But as he reaches the beautiful, crumpled body at the other end of the room, he already knows it’s not worth resisting.

Hyunjin lies in a pool of blood on the cracked stone floor, his skin pale, his eyes glassy and unseeing. His beloved dual swords are in pieces around him. He fought, and he fought hard. But it wasn’t enough in the end.

The ugly hole through Hyunjin’s breastplate is proof of that.

Changbin takes one look at Hyunjin’s lifeless form and can’t hold it in anymore.

He screams, the sound slicing his throat and burning his chest as his heart breaks into a thousand pieces. And even then, when he doesn’t have any breath left in his ruined lungs, he cries out, making any strangled, wheezing noise possible. His knees hit the floor, pain flaring up through them, but he pays it no mind as he crawls towards his beloved Hyunjin and gathers him into his arms.

He begs—he begs to anyone out there who will listen. He begs them to bring him back, to let his eyes sparkle one last time, for his skin to glow with happiness and life again, but it’s no use.

Hyunjin is dead. Changbin killed him.

_He killed him._

Changbin drops his head, his tears splattering Hyunjin’s face. He weeps for what feels like an eternity, but it still isn’t enough time spent mourning. It’s still not _enough_. Hyunjin was so beautiful. He had the kindest heart, full of mercy. He wanted to help people. He wanted to bring peace. He had so much to live for, and yet he died instead of Changbin.

Changbin begs one last time for the gods to take him instead, to trade his life for Hyunjin’s, but his plea is ignored. What is done is done. There’s no changing it.

Changbin weeps for one night and one day. By the end of it, his tears and energy are finally spent, and his mind is made up.

Gently, he lays Hyunjin back down onto the stone floor. He brushes his golden hair out of his face and cups his cheek, wishing he still felt the warmth.

Then Changbin murmurs, his voice hoarse, “I’ll see you soon, love.”

He finally withdraws from Hyunjin only for a few moments. When he returns to Hyunjin’s side, he holds the unsheathed dagger in his hand. He gazes at Hyunjin’s face one last time, a ghost of a smile on his face, then plunges the dagger under his ribs and upwards, where it pierces his heart.

As his life fades rapidly from him, Changbin lays on the ground next to his lover, reaching out a delicate hand to cup his cheek.

He dies with the hope of seeing him again.

~

The crashing of waves. The cry of seagulls.

Changbin’s eyelids flutter.

The warmth of the sunlight on his face, the smell of salt and water.

He opens his eyes and squints against the bright sunlight. He lifts a hand to block out the sun, only to savor the warmth of it on his palm.

When he finally sits up, he finds himself on a beach, right where the long grass meets the golden sand. Turquoise waves tipped with white crash against the land a few yards away from him, and he smiles.

Slowly, he gets to his feet. He takes a moment to enjoy the feeling of the warm, soft sand beneath his bare feet, then turns to face the field beyond the beach. It’s covered in lolling hills and waist-high, glimmering grass dotted with wildflowers. Changbin wades through it, breathing in the sweet scents.

Up ahead, set into the side of those lolling hills, is an ancient villa, covered in fruit trees and vines. It’s the restored version of the ruins, Changbin realizes after a moment. The sight is bittersweet.

He takes a deep breath as he approaches the villa. The same stairwell he used to climb once a month is now restored and seems to beckon him. He swallows and climbs it, his heart pounding out of his chest as he steps onto the half-circle balcony outside the main bedroom. Long, gauzy, white curtains cover the arched doorways, billowing in the sea breeze. Changbin can just barely make out a figure sitting on the edge of a bed through the shifting of these curtains.

He pushes the curtains out of the way, then steps into the bedroom.

The room is completely furnished, with a chaise lounge and similar sofas making up a sitting area off to the right. Vases full of various types of flowers fill the room with color and a sweet scent. The wall is restored to a beautiful sea-blue color, complete with a string of decorative tiles here and there.

Then, of course, there’s a four-poster bed off to the left, its white, gauzy curtains unloosened and drawn almost to a complete close. Sitting on the edge of the bed, with his back to him, is an achingly familiar figure. Changbin recognizes him from the delicate curve of his neck and the slope of his shoulders, from the way he wraps his arms around himself, attempting to give himself any kind of meager comfort.

Hyunjin’s humming to himself, but it is not a cheerful tune. It sounds sad and melancholic, though the fact that Hyunjin sniffs every now and then could have been a clue.

Changbin’s own eyes fill with tears, but then he remembers that this is his fault. Hyunjin is only here because of _him_. Changbin doesn’t deserve to be in this place with him after what he did. He deserves the worst kind of Hell imaginable.

Changbin turns quickly and accidentally knocks over a vase of flowers. It crashes to the floor, spilling water and flowers, and Hyunjin stops humming and twists around.

“Changbin?” he whispers when he sees him.

“I’m sorry,” Changbin says, already backing away. “I’m so sorry—”

“No, no, don’t go!” Hyunjin jumps up and runs towards him—and _gods_ , he looks beautiful. He’s glowing again. He’s full of life. He’s even wearing a chiton made out of the same gauzy materials as the curtains, but Changbin can’t get distracted. He can’t get attached. Because he doesn’t belong here with Hyunjin. He doesn’t _deserve_ to be here with Hyunjin.

“I can’t be here,” Changbin whispers, his vision blurring with tears. “I can’t—I belong in Hell, not here with you—”

“Don’t say that.” Hyunjin gently cups his face like he’s done so many times, wiping away the tears that slip down Changbin’s cheeks.

“I _killed you!_ ” Changbin exclaims. “I killed you and your entire kingdom! Without remorse! I just cut them down like they were nothing, because they _were_ nothing at the time. I’m a murderer and a monster.”

“That wasn’t _you_ ,” Hyunjin insists. “It wasn’t! It—it was some sort of demon, something hell-bent on killing, something pure evil. But it wasn’t you.”

“But it was my patron god,” Changbin says. “The god I devoted my life to. He was a _part_ of me. The ugliest part. And it killed you. I killed you.”

Hyunjin just looks at him with wide, lost eyes, his mouth opened to say something. But no words come out. He doesn’t know what else to say.

He doesn’t know what else to say, because he knows that Changbin speaks the truth.

Changbin takes a step back and shakes his head, his heart breaking even further in his chest. He waits for Hyunjin to say something, but Hyunjin can’t find the words, so silence descends. The only sounds are the distant roar of the ocean and the rustling of the sea breeze through the fruit trees.

Changbin has to leave, but there’s one last thing he needs to do first.

Swallowing, he drops to one knee, his head lowered. Hyunjin takes a small step back in surprise.

“I know it’s a lot to ask,” Changbin says, “but I must beg for your forgiveness. I know I don’t deserve—”

“I forgive you,” Hyunjin says.

“What?” Changbin looks up at him with wide eyes.

“I forgave you the moment it happened.”

Changbin just stares at him, his eyes now filling with tears. Hyunjin gives him a gentle smile as he reaches out and strokes the side of Changbin’s face. Changbin leans into the touch despite himself.

Finally, Hyunjin crouches down in front of him so they’re eye-to-eye.

“You wouldn’t be here with me if you weren’t innocent,” he whispers, his eyes shining. “The gods wouldn’t be so merciful as to give us a second chance at an eternity together. They understand that you would never do any of that out of your own free will.

He cups the side of Changbin’s face. “You’re a good man, Seo Changbin,” Hyunjin says.“You’re the love of my life, my soulmate. You’re kind and loving and honorable, and you wouldn’t willingly hurt a single innocent or defenseless soul. You made mistakes, yes, but you recognized them and you learned from them. You strove to make amends and make the world a better place. You don’t deserve to burn in Hell for all eternity. You deserve to be here, with me.”

“I don’t think I do,” Changbin whispers.

“Do you _want_ to?”

“Yes, _yes—_ more than anything. I want to spend eternity with you.”

“Then spend it with me. You’re here. We finally have the life we begged for.” Hyunjin presses their foreheads together. “Stay with me, Changbin.”

Changbin closes his eyes.

Could he? Could he stay? Would the gods let him?

Perhaps…

Perhaps this is just a moment of mercy the gods finally gifted him in response to his fervent prayers, which will end when they finally send him to Hell where he belongs. If that’s the case, then shouldn’t he make every moment of this count? Just like he made every moment of their time together while they were alive count?

Slowly, Changbin reaches for Hyunjin. The moment his arms wrap around him, Hyunjin sags into Changbin, tucking his face into the crook of Changbin’s neck.

And just like that, everything falls into place like it once was. Changbin doesn’t want to leave. He never wants to be apart from his Hyunjin again.

“I’ll stay with you,” Changbin whispers. “I’ll stay as long as they let me.”

Hyunjin just nods, nuzzling the side of Changbin’s neck.

They stay like that in each other’s arms for awhile, savoring every moment of it, waiting for the gods to come and take Changbin away.

But then day turns to night, and night turns to day, and entire days seem to pass, and Changbin is still there. He’s still there, holding his precious Hyunjin like he’ll disappear.

And at that moment, the two of them finally pull back and look at each other. They realize the true gift they have been given, and Changbin’s resolve finally breaks.

Hyunjin is the one who breaks their silence by letting out a short laugh, which makes Changbin smile, which then makes Hyunjin laugh again. Eventually Changbin laughs with him, though there are pauses in between their laughter, as if they are still waiting for the gods to come.

But the gods never come. It’s just the two of them.

It’s just the two of them, together forever like they always wanted.

And so Changbin finally picks up his Hyunjin, who laughs and wraps his legs around his waist, then covers his face with kisses. Changbin smiles and carries Hyunjin into the villa, where they finally enjoy the beginning of eternity together at last.

**Author's Note:**

> I’m already thinking of doing a spinoff that will expand on this universe and explain a few more things that I couldn’t fit in here. I think it will focus on the other members, though.
> 
> Anyways, thanks for reading! Please leave some kudos if you enjoyed <3


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